Swedish Military Intelligence and

Security Services

Introduction

During the 19th century, military warfare was modernized with improved and more effective weapons and fast troop movements. The latter was possible due to better roads and the expansion of railroads. This lead to an increased need for fast and reliable intelligence about other nations’ armaments, military exercises, and troop movements. Before and during wars, intelligence about the enemy’s next move became essential to avoid surprising attacks. Sweden has been pursuing signals intelligence (SIGINT) since 1905. Then, both the Army General Staff (Swe: Generalstaben) and Naval Staff (Swe: Marinstaben) respectively established departments for signals intelligence and cryptanalysis. During World War I, these departments were able to break the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet’s encrypted traffic. A major success occurred in 1933 when the cipher of the Russian OGPU (predecessor to KGB) was solved. in 1940, Swedish Professor of Mathematics Arne Beurling with the Crypto Detail IV, Cryptography Department, was set to break the German encryption. After two weeks of single handwork in the summer of 1940, he decoded the cipher of the German G-schreiber T52 with the only use of pencil and paper with only one day’s collection of messages as the source. Using Professor Beurling's work, the telephone company Ericsson manufactured several T52 analog machines that could decode the messages once the key settings had been found by hand. The Swedish Military Intelligence was then able to read German traffic in the system for three years, not only between Berlin and Oslo, but also between Germany and the German forces in Finland, and of course to the German embassy in Stockholm. In total, Sweden intercepted 500,000 German messages and decrypted 350,000. For more information, see the Swedish Military Cryptography Department 1939 - 1945. In 1941, Sweden became the first nation, besides Germany, to possess information about the forthcoming German attack on the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa. The Swedes passed this information to the Allies through the UK. Not to invoke any German suspicions that Sweden had broken their code, the Swedish Government faked that they went off to celebrate Midsummer Feast, the day before the German’s planned attack at the USSR. In the fall of 1941 and the winter of 1941/1942, there was intelligence information that Germany prepared for an attack on Sweden. In February 1941 the situation was critical and this period is known as the February Crisis. The Germans were considerably strengthening their forces in Norway for a possible invasion of Sweden. This was known by the Swedish General Staff since the Swedish military intelligence was listening in on the German telecommunications. The Swedish answer was a further mobilization and carried out a gigantic military maneuver in Jämtland by the Norwegian border with about 300,000 Swedish soldiers. At this point, Finland was collaborating with the Germans and the Swedish Military Intelligence, deceitfully informed the Finnish Envoy to Sweden that Sweden would defend themselves even if the Allies tried to invade Sweden, in the hope that the Germans would pick up this information, which they did.

Dissolution of the union between Sweden

and Norway 1905

Until 1814, Norway was in a union with Denmark under the reign of the King of Denmark. Denmark was an ally to France during the Napoleonic Wars. The King of Sweden was leading the Allie’s Northern Army and during the war, Sweden launched an attack on Denmark, which surrendered within 14 days. In the peace treaty after the Napoleonic War, Denmark lost Norway to Sweden. Norway then entered into a union with Sweden under the reign of the King of Sweden. Norway, which had hoped for independence, resisted the union. After a short war, Norway accepted the terms of the union. So, in August 1814, after the loss in the Swedish–Norwegian War, Norway was forced to join in a personal union with the Kingdom of Sweden. However, over the years, a divergence of Norwegian and Swedish interests became apparent. When free trade between the two countries was restricted in 1895 by the abolition of the "Interstate laws", the economic reasons for the continued union were diminished. The conflict came to a head over the so-called "consul affair" in which successive Norwegian governments insisted that Norway should establish its own consular offices abroad rather than rely on the common consulates appointed by the Swedish Foreign Minister. In early 1905, Norwegian Christian Michelsen formed a coalition government in Oslo whose only stated objective was to establish a separate Norwegian corps of consuls. The law was passed by the Norwegian parliament. As expected and probably as planned, Swedish King Oscar II vetoed the laws, and the Michelsen government tendered its resignation. However, King Oscar refused to accept the resignations. In turn, the Norwegian government refused to countersign King Oscar's decision and returned to Christiania (Oslo) on 7 June 1905, triggering a constitutional crisis. Later that day, the Norwegian parliament voted to dissolve the union with Sweden. The tensions between Sweden and Norway arose already in the 1890s and the Swedish General Staff was not ruling out war. At the beginning of the 1900s, it was very tense and the Swedish Army planned for war. The Swedish military intelligence stepped up the collection of information about Norway’s frontier fortifications, military exercises, and troop movements. On 31 August 1905, Swedish and Norwegian delegates met in Karlstad, Sweden, to negotiate the terms of dissolution. Even as the negotiations made progress, military forces were quietly deployed on both sides of the border between Sweden and Norway. Public opinion among Norwegian leftists favored a war of independence if necessary, regardless of Sweden's numerical military superiority. On 23 September 1905, the negotiations concluded and the Union was peacefully dissolved. On 9 October the Norwegian parliament voted to accept the terms of the dissolution; on 13 October the Swedish parliament followed suit. Around 1900, there was no organized military intelligence service in Sweden. The Swedish General Staff, established in 1873, was initially organized with a Chief with a Head Office and four departments. One of the four departments was the Military Statistics Department which task was the collection and processing of military information sent in by the military attachés at Sweden’s embassies abroad. In 1903, there were plans to establish a military intelligence service, whose primary task then was to spy on Norway. On 12 July 1905, the Swedish Parliament passed an Act, which ensured the establishment of a Swedish Military Intelligence Service. Agents were placed in Copenhagen, London, and Norway. The first Chief of the intelligence service was Captain Lagercrantz with Lieutenant Henning Stålhane (1872 – 1951) as his Second in Command. The Intelligence Department was organized within the General Staff. Stålhane’s job was to enlist agents in the Norwegian border areas. He personally carried out reconnaissance journeys to Norway, observing Norwegian frontier fortifications. In 1906, Stålhane was in Finland (Finland was then Russian), establishing a network of agents that was given the task to observe and report about the expansion of the railroads in Finland and Russian troop movements. The Naval Staff had also a secret military intelligence service which at times led to conflicts with the Army intelligence service since both were reluctant to share its information. The Naval Intelligence Service also used agents abroad.

Sweden Mobilized its Armed Forces in 1905

On 7 June 1905, when the Norwegian parliament voted to dissolve the union with Sweden, both sides stepped up their military preparedness. Sweden enlisted agents among the military, borderers, forest wardens, customs, postal, telephone, and railroad personnel. The whole situation escalated and on 17 July 1905, Sweden carried out a partial mobilization. The Chief of the General Staff, Major General Axel Rappe, elaborated the final plan for an attack on Norway. On 31 August 1905, Swedish and Norwegian delegates met in the Karlstad to negotiate the terms of dissolution. Even as the negotiations made progress, military forces were quietly deployed on both sides of the border between Sweden and Norway. Mid-September 1905, Sweden rose its military preparedness further by mobilizing yet 50,000 soldiers. A naval fleet of 42 warships was deployed to the Swedish west-coast, south of the Norwegian border. On 13 and 14 September Norway made a partial mobilization and a major part of the Norwegian armed forces, 22,000 men, were now under arms. However, in the Karlstad negotiations, both sides agreed to establish a demilitarized zone on both sides of the border. All new fortifications had to be demolished, except for Norwegian Kongsvinger, however not allowed to be extended. On 23 September 1905, the negotiations concluded. The dissolution of the Union ended peacefully. However, Sweden’s intelligence surveillance of Norway continued. The Swedish military intelligence service was extended and a secret section was established for the spying on foreign nations, especially directed towards Norway and Russia. The new Chief of the Military Intelligence Service was Jochum Åkerman. The network of agents was also extended.

Intelligence Bureau (UB) 1907 -

Swedish: Underrättelsebyrån (UB) In 1907, the Swedish military intelligence service was reorganized which resulted in the establishment of the Intelligence Bureau (UB). The driving force behind the reorganization was Minister of Defense Lars Tingsten. Both the earlier Norwegian Detail and the Russian Detail were placed under the Intelligence Bureau (UB). The tasks of the new Bureau were to Byrån pursue both foreign as well as domestic intelligence services. The Naval Staff military intelligence service was established in 1911. The period up to the outbreak of World War I, it was foremost Norway and Russia that was the objects of the Bureau’s interest. During World War I 1914 – 1918, the Swedish Military Intelligence Service developed fast; the funding increased and the resources were extended; more agents were enlisted and intelligence messages were transmitted fast. During WWI, the intelligence service was able to break the Russian Baltic Sea Fleet’s encrypted traffic.

First Chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau (UB)

• 1907 – 1910, EKW Söderhjälm • 1910 – 1914, HR Låftman • 1914 – 1916, Captain EG af Edholm Before 1920 there were two different government ministries for the armed forces; the Ministry of Land Defense (Swe: Lantförsvarsdepartementet) and the Ministry for Naval Affairs (Swe: Sjöförsvarsdepartementet). The ministers were titled Minister of War respectively Minister for Naval Affairs. On 30 June 1920, these two ministries were merged into the newly established Ministry of Defense (Försvarsdepartementet) and the minister is titled Minster of Defense (Försvarsminister).

Counterespionage 1914 - 1918

The Counterespionage with the Intelligence Bureau (UB) was established as an independent service by the name Police Bureau (Swe: Polisbyrån) on 31 July 1914. It was placed under the General Staff until the end of WWI and its headquarters was on Linnégatan in Stockholm. The chiefs were entirely officers with the General Staff while the agents were foremost police officers. The Police Bureau was disestablished on 21 June 1922 and replaced in 1923 by the newly established Alien Control (Swe: Utlänningskontrollen) [Internal Border Control] and the agency got a more police direction. The agency’s first Chief was Assistant Commissioner Erik Hallgren (1880 – 1956). The agency’s main task was initially the supervision of extremist organizations. However, the Intelligence Bureau (UB) was still in charge of the foreign espionage directed towards Sweden. In present days, the Counterespionage is placed under the Swedish Security Service, (Swe: Säkerhetspolisen, abbreviated SÄPO).

Inter-war Period & World War II

During the inter-war period, the intelligence services were downsized due to cost-cutting of the Swedish armed forces in the middle of the 1920s. However, the Navy was able to keep up its military intelligence service and developed its competence further. From 1928, the Navy was pursuing signals intelligence with the armored vessel Sverige, but later with several other vessels and from land-based posts. A major success occurred in 1933 when the cipher of the Russian OGPU (predecessor to KGB) was solved. On 1 July 1926, when the Swedish Air Force became an individual branch of the armed forces, the Air Force established its own intelligence service within the Air Force Staff (Swe: Flygstyrelsen, later Flygstaben). Under the Defense Act of 1936, Sweden went through a period of rearmament. The Armored Troops and the Air Force were particularly reinforced. Further, on 1 July 1937, the Defense Staff (Swe: Försvarsstaben) was established as a Central Operational Command of the Armed Forces. The Defense Staff was organized in 10 departments, among them: • Intelligence Department (Fst U) • Military Signals Department (Fst S) • Cryptography Department (Fst Kry) The first Chief of the Intelligence Department (Avd. U) was Colonel Carlos Adlercreutz, a position he held until 1942. The department later evolved to Section II under the Defense Staff. Adlercreutz was the one who worked out the services of the Swedish Military Security Service during WWII. At the outbreak of the Finnish Winter War at the end of November 1939, the Swedish Intelligence Services received substantially increased funding. The Chief of the Intelligence Department, Colonel Adlercreutz, worked for the establishment of secret intelligence activities abroad, in other words, espionage. In December 1939, such a service was initiated when a secret bureau by the name Gränsbyrån, (Border Bureau), later named the G-Section, was established. Its first Chief was Carl Petersén. The bureau reported direct to the Chief of the Intelligence Department, Colonel Adlercreutz. The secret Bureau soon grew and had about 1,000 people employed. Not only military personnel was hired but also many academics. One of the academics hired was Thede Palm who in 1946 advanced to the Chief of the secret bureau, then known as the T-Office (Swe: T-kontoret). The Cryptography Department (Swe: Kryptoavdelningen) with its Crypto Detail IV, established in 1939 at the outbreak of WWII under the command of Sven Hallenborg, was responsible for cryptanalysis. Then, the department consisted of about 50 cryptanalysts. The Cryptographic Department was a predecessor to FRA (Försvarets Radioanstalt (National Defense Radio Establishment). The first stationary signals collection site was located at the Crypto Detail IVs premises near Karlaplan Central Stockholm, but in 1940 it was moved to several villas at Elfviks Udde in the suburban island of Lidingö. More sites were established in other places in Sweden too. During WWII, Denmark and Norway were occupied by German armed forces on 9 April 1940. The Germans hired the Swedish telephone network for their telecommunication with its forces in Norway. The Swedish Defense Staff was willingly accepting this, thereby Swedish intelligence was able to listen in on the German communications. So, the Swedish government accepted the German request to hire telephone lines and the lines were subsequently tapped by the Swedish Military Intelligence. The Cryptographic Department immediately started to intercept German communication. However, it soon became clear that the traffic was almost always encrypted by the German state-of-the-art cipher machine Geheimfernschreiber (G-schreiber). The instrument was known as the “G-skrivaren” by Swedish cryptanalysts. The official name was Siemens & Halske T52. The Swedish Professor of mathematics Arne Beurling with the Crypto Detail IV, Cryptographic Department, was set to break the encryption. After two weeks of single handwork in the summer of 1940, he decoded the cipher of the G-schreiber T52 with the only use of pencil and paper with only one day’s collection of messages as the source. Using Professor Beurling's work, the telephone company Ericsson manufactured several T52 analog machines that could decode the messages once the key settings had been found by hand. In 1941, Sweden became the first nation, besides Germany, to possess information about the forthcoming German attack on the Soviet Union, Operation Barbarossa. In June 1942, the Germans became aware that the Swedes were able to decrypt their coded messages sent with the T52 G-Schreiber. An improvement in the T52 security had been made, however also this was defeated by the Swedes. However, the second upgrade in mid-1943 was not, and the flow of decrypted messages came to an end. The Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment (FRA) (Swe: Försvarets Radioanstalt, FRA) was from 1938 established step by step. However, on 1 July 1942, the service became an independent agency performing signals intelligence (SIGINT). FRA:s first Chief was the Naval Officer Torgil Thorén (1892-1982) who held this position between 1942 and 1957.

Section II

In 1942, the Intelligence Department was reorganized and arose as Section II under the Defense Staff. Section II had both an internal department (Domestic Affairs) as well as an external department (Foreign Affairs). The secret G-Section was in 1942 detached from the Intelligence Department and evolved to a new service named the C-Bureau under the Chief of Section II. The current Chief of Section II, Colonel Adlercreutz, was dismissed and the appointed new Chief of Section II was Navy Captain Daniel Landquist (1891 – 1962). • Colonel Axel Fredrik Carlos Adlercreutz, born on 26 January 1890 in Stockholm, died on 7 October 1963 in Enköpings-Näs, Chief of the Military Intelligence Department between 1936 and 1942. The top image to the right shows Carlos Adlercreutz. Image: Wikipedia. • Axel Daniel Landquist, born on 20 August 1891 in Stockholm, died on 7 October 1962, Swedish Naval Officer, Chief of Section II between 1942 and 1945. • Torgil Vilhelm Hildebad Thorén, born on 30 March 1892 in Döderhult, died on 11 March 1982, Swedish Naval Officer, first Chief of the FRA, a position he held between 1942 and 1957. Between 1952 and 1957 he was the Deputy Director-General. Between 1938 and 1942 he was with the Defense Staff. The image to the right shows Torgil Thorén. Image: Wikipedia. -

Related Links

• Sweden’s military preparedness 1939 - 1945 • Signals Intelligence - Cryptography Department 1939 - 1945 • Swedish military war units 1939 - 1945 • The organization of the Swedish armed forces in the 20th century - conscription • Swedish regiments

Source References

• Swedish Armed Forces: http://www.forsvarsmakten.se/sv/ • Underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten 100 år, Lars Ulfving, 2000. • Hemliga makter, Lars Magnusson, Jan Ottosson, 1991. • Det vakande ögat. Svensk underrättelsetjänst genom 400 år, L. Frick, L. Rosander, 1998. • Sprickor i järnridån: Svensk underrättelsetjänst 1944-1992, Wilhelm Agrell • Försvarets radioanstalt 50 år, 1942 - 1992 • Underrättelsetjänsten, en översyn, SOU 1999:37 • Handlingar från C-byrån tillgängliga i ArkivDigital (AD) • Beredskapsverket, AD. “Den svenska militära beredskapen 1937 - 1945”. • Nationalencyklopedin • Wikipedia Top of Page

C-Bureau 1939 - 1946

Swedish: C-byrån During World War II, there was a secret subsection of Section II called the C-Bureau. The C-Bureau, which existed between 1939 and 1946, but was called G-Section (Border Bureau) until 1942. In 1942, the G-Section evolved to an independent service by the name C-Bureau. The service’s first Chief was Carl Petersén and “C” in the name of the service is believed to be the initial letter of his first name, Carl. The C-Bureau was directly under the Chief of Section II. The image to the right shows an example of a document stamped “Hemlig” (Top Secret) by the C-Bureau in 1942 concerning the road network in Norway. Image: Försvarsstaben: C-byrån (o) FI:1 (1940-1943) Bild 260. The G-Section was established in 1939 after the outbreak of WWII after a joint drive by the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces General Olof Thörnell and the Chief of the Military Intelligence Service Colonel Carlos Adlercreutz. The Chief of the G-Section Carl Petersén and his Second in Command, Helmuth Ternberg, divided the responsibility of the information collecting country-wise between themselves. An agent network was established in the Baltic countries and the Swedish agent activities in these countries increased a lot during 1941. The headquarters of the C-Bureau was nicknamed "Centralen" and housed at Sibyllegatan 49 in Stockholm. During WWII, Finland was attacked by the Soviets, and in the fall of 1944, the C-Bureau organized the transfer of the Finnish Intelligence Service’s secret files from Finland to Sweden in an operation called Operation Stella Polaris. The operation involved about 800 people and loads of Finnish signals intelligence material was saved from the Soviets and secretly shipped from Finland to Sweden. After WWII, in the fall of 1946, the Swedish Defense Staff was reorganized. This affected C-Bureau too. The Chief of the bureau Carl Petersén was dismissed by the Minister of Defense Allan Vought on 23 January 1946. Carl Petersén was notified the following day by the Chief of the Defense Staff, Carl August Ehrensvärd. Section II at this time was headed by Curt Juhlin-Dannfelt and as such Petersén’s superior. Carl Petersén was replaced by Thede Palm, who had been with the C-Bureau since 1943. At the same time, the name of the bureau was changed to the T- Office. Lieutenant Colonel Carl Jacob Karsten Petersén, born on 18 April 1883 in Stockholm, died on 14 April 1963, From 1939 to 1946 Chief of den secret C-Bureau of the Military Intelligence Service Section II. The image to the left shows Carl Petersén. Image: Wikipedia. Carl Theodor (Thede) Palm, born on 27 September 1907 in Sala, Västmanland, died on 18 December 1995 in Östra Ryd, Östergötland. Chief of the secret C-Bureau from 1946. Helmuth ”Teddy” Ternberg, born in 1893 in Stockholm, died in 1971 in Worms, Germany. Major and Deputy Chief of the C-Bureau during WWII. The image to the right shows Helmuth Ternberg. Image: Wikipedia. Carl August Ehrensvärd, born on 3 August 1892 in Karlskrona, died on 24 April 1974 in Ystad. Section Chief with the Defense Staff 1942–1944, Chief of the Defense Staff 1945–1947, Commander in Chief of the Army 1948–1957, General. Allan Georg Fredrik Vougt, born on 28 April 1895 in Stockholm, died on 24 January 1953 in Malmö, Minister of Defense 1945-1951. Curt Herman Juhlin-Dannfelt, born on 29 September 1888 in Karlsborg, died on 3 November 1968 in Danderyd, Swedish Officer. Chief of the military intelligence, Section 2, between 1 October 1945 and 31 December 1946.

Counterespionage 1939 - 1945

During World War I, the Swedish counterespionage, established in 1914, was handled by the Military Intelligence Bureau (UB). From 1923, the counterespionage was sorted under the Police, even if the foreign espionage directed towards Sweden was handled by the Intelligence Bureau (UB). The Swedish Police was nationalized in 1965. Before 1965, the Police were organized locally; each town employed its own police officers. However, there was a State Police (Swe: Statspolisen) too, established on 1 January 1933. The Chief of the State Police was the Assistant Commissioner in Stockholm. The State Police was organized in three sub-departments; uniformed police, Criminal investigations (detectives), and Security Service (Säkerhetspolisen). The first Chief of the State Police was Erik Ros. At the outbreak of WWII, the State Police was engaged in security affairs such as espionage and sabotage in Sweden. This was the beginning of the Swedish agency; Security Services (Swe: Säkerhetspolisen, SÄPO). In 1939, the counterespionage department with the State Police was extended. Four detective sergeants and 16 detective constables were engaged. The Counterespionage Department was officially called the 3rd Division of the State Police (Statspolisens Tredje Rotel). At the same time a new police division was established with the Stockholm Police Department, the 6th Division (Sjätte Roteln) with the Stockholm Criminal investigations Division. The 6th Division was working with security affairs too, but only in Stockholm. During WWII, the espionage towards Sweden was substantially increased and the Stockholm 6th Division assisted their counterparts with the State Police around the country. On 1 September 1939, the 3rd Division with the State Police and the 6th Division with the Stockholm Police Department were merged into an independent unit. Internally the former names of these departments were kept; the State Police 3rd Division and Stockholm Criminal investigations 6th division. However, in the newspapers, this new department was named “Security Service” (Säkerhetspolisen). On 1 July 1946, the cooperation between the State Police and the Stockholm Criminal investigations with the Stockholm Police Department ended. Instead, the State Police solely took over the responsibility for the counterespionage and established espionage offices in the major cities of Sweden. The current Security Service was established in October 1989 (Swe: Säkerhetspolisen, abbreviated SÄPO). Today, the Counterespionage is placed under the Security Service, SÄPO.

T-Office 1946 - 1965

Swedish: T-kontoret The T-Office was in service between 1946 and 1965, headed by Ph.D. Thede Palm. Palm joined the C- Bureau in 1943, hired by Carl Petersén. The secret T- Office was subordinated Section II within the Defense Staff (Försvarsstaben), where also the “open” military intelligence service was. The operations were entirely focused on foreign intelligence gathering. The T-Office was a direct continuation of the former C-Bureau. It is sometimes stated that the “T” in T- Office was the initial letter of Thede Palm’s first name. However, this is not correct, the “T” stood for “Technical”, i.e. the Technical Office. The T-Office was a secret organization and it was believed that the name “Technical Office” would be insignificant enough to hide or cover the secret department from an outsider. The fast development of military weapons systems during World War II and the following Cold War was the underlying reason for the establishment of the Swedish National Defense Research Institute (FOA) (Swe: Försvarets Forskningsanstalt, FOA) on 1 April 1945. During the last year of WWII, Swedish representatives of the Military Intelligence Service were invited to the USA. This was the beginning of an interaction with their counterpart in the US. The Soviet Union was the major threat for Sweden and cooperation with the US was secretly established. The Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment (FRA), established as an independent agency on 1 July 1942, was an agency performing signals intelligence (SIGINT). The division of responsibilities of the intelligence services between the T-Office and FRA was settled directly by Thede Palm and the Head of FRA at the time, Torgil Thorén. The Swedish signals intelligence was rapidly developing and growing and FRA was able to follow the Soviet military radar unit’s activities and communications. At the beginning of the 1950s, airborne radar surveillance began. The necessary equipment was acquired from the US Air Force and the British RAF. Two DC 3 airplanes were procured, designated Tp 79001 Hugin and Tp 79002 Munin. The Shooting Down of a Swedish Spy Aircraft in 1952: On 13 June 1952, during a signals intelligence collection flight over the eastern part of the Baltic Sea, the Swedish spy plane Tp 79001 Hugin was shot down by a Soviet fighter aircraft in international airspace. In 1957, the military intelligence service, Section II, established a department for secret domestic intelligence gathering. This new department was detached from the Domestic Department and its services were carried out in parallel with the T- Office’s work. The new department was initially called Group-B (later the B-Office) and was given the task to find instigators of revolts, anarchists, and Soviet “fifth columnists”. See below.

B-Office 1957 - 1965

Swedish: B-kontoret Group-B existed between 1957 and 1961 and was a Swedish secret intelligence department within the Defense Staff’s Section II [(Försvarsstabens säkerhetsavdelning (sektion II/Inrikesavdelningen)] for secret domestic intelligence gathering, headed by Birger Elmér. In 1961, the department became an independent department by the name B-Office. In 1965 the foreign-oriented T-Office was merged with the domestic-oriented B-Office and became the Defense Staff's Special Bureau (Försvarsstabens särskilda byrå), more commonly known as IB, headed by Birger Elmér.

IB 1965 - 1978

IB was a secret Swedish military intelligence agency officially known as the Defense Staff's Special Bureau (Försvarsstabens särskilda byrå), but commonly called IB. The meaning of the name IB is not known with certainty. It is often said to be an abbreviation of either Information Bureau (Informationsbyrån) or “Insamling Birger” (Information-Gathering Birger), after its Director Birger Elmér. This is, however, pure speculation, and neither name was in general use within the organization. In 1965, as mentioned above, the foreign-oriented T- Office was merged with the domestic-oriented B- Office and became the Defense Staff's Special Bureau. However, the merger was not for real; both the T- Office and the B-Office continued to work as two separate services, but under the joint designation IB. Director Birger Elmér was heading both services. In 1968, IB was detached from the Defense Staff and sorted directly under the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (ÖB). The objectives of IB were foremost secret intelligence-gathering abroad but also secret domestic intelligence-gathering about communists and other individuals who were perceived to be a threat to the nation. At the end of the 1940s, the governing Social Democratic Labor Party (SAP) established their own domestic intelligence service attached to the Party. Its purpose was surveillance and mapping of communists in Sweden through their union representatives at the various workplaces. In the early 1950s, an agreement was made between the Defense Staff and the Social Democratic Party, via Minister of Defense Torsten Nilsson and Party Secretary Sten Andersson, that made it possible for the Defense Staff to use the intelligence service of the union representatives established by the Social Democratic Party. The Defense Staff’s Group-B worked closely with the Social Democratic Party, whose 20.000 enlisted union representatives reported information about communists at workplaces to the Group-B (B-Office). This continued also after the establishment of IB in 1965. IB was an independent intelligence agency, detached from the Defense Staff in 1968, and placed directly under the Supreme Commander (ÖB). In 1977, IB was again attached to Section II under the Defense Staff. Sorting under Section II, was also the Defense Security Service. Between 1977 and 1982, the IB and the Military Security Service were jointly known as Gemensamma byrån för underrättelser (GBU). IB existed as an intelligence agency until 1978. Birger Elmér retired in 1975 but the agency continued some service until 1978. The IB Affair: In 1973, IB was exposed by journalists Jan Guillou and Peter Bratt and their original main source Håkan Isacson. The two reporters revealed their findings in the leftist magazine “Folket i Bild/Kulturfront” on 3 May 1973. The story was immediately picked up by many leading Swedish dailies. Jan Guillou, Peter Bratt, Håkan Isacson, and the photographer Ove Holmqvist were arrested on 22 October 1973 by the Swedish Security Service on suspicion of espionage. Bratt and Guillou were both convicted of espionage; Isacson was convicted of espionage and accessory to espionage. • Carl Gustaf Birger Elmér, born on 8 August 1919 in Jönköping, died on 8 November 1999 in Jönköping. Elmér was heading the secret IB between 1961 and 1975. The image to the right shows Birger Elmér. Image: Wikipedia.

SSI 1982 / KSI 1989

IB existed to 1973 (1978) but the Bureau “Gemensamma byrån för underrättelser (GBU)” continued to 1982 by that name. However, in 1982 the name was changed to the Section for Special Acquisition, SSI (Sektionen för Särskild Inhämtning) and in 1989 to the Office for Special Acquisition, KSI (Kontoret för Särskild Inhämtning). The main task of KSI is that of liaison with foreign intelligence organizations and espionage through HUMINT (intelligence gathered by means of interpersonal contact). The Defense Staff was reorganized in 1981. The Defense Staff’s Section II became now Operations Section 5, OP 5 (Operationssektion 5, OP 5). This reorganization merged the Intelligence Details with the different branches of the armed forces into one major organization sorted under OP 5. KSI is a secret organization and authorized to use so- called “special methods”. However, what this means is classified but in principle, they are allowed to break the law when performing espionage and preventing threats towards to Swedish interests, national security, and their enemies. They are also authorized to run private companies as covers for their services and operations. The names of the chiefs and operators are classified information. In the 1980s and 1990s the SSI/KSI was headed by Bertil Lundin. The signals intelligence vessel HMS Orion (A201) was launched in 1984 and is used for intelligence gathering together with FRA. The crew aboard the vessel is seamen and officers from the Navy and special operators from FRA. In 2020, the HMS Orion was replaced by the new signals intelligence vessel HMS Artemis. • Bertil Lundin, born on 31 December 1946 in Stockholm, died on 29 June 2005 in Stockholm. He was the head of the Office for Special Acquisition, KSI.

MUST 1994 -

In 1994, the Swedish Armed Forces Headquarters (Swe: Högkvarteret, HKV) was established and is the highest level of command in the Swedish Armed Forces. It is the Central Command of the Armed Forces and is located in Stockholm. MUST, the Military Intelligence and Security Service (Swe: Militära underrättelse- och säkerhetstjänsten, MUST) is a division of the Swedish Armed Forces Central Command. MUST was established on 1 July 1994. MUST is both foreign intelligence and a military security/counterintelligence agency. In its intelligence role, MUST is responsible for providing intelligence on foreign threats to the Government of Sweden and the Swedish Armed Forces. However, signals intelligence is handled by a separate agency operated by the Ministry of Defence, the Swedish National Defence Radio Establishment (FRA), which is not part of MUST. MUST is legally prohibited from gathering intelligence on Swedish domestic affairs, except in its more narrowly defined role a counter-intelligence agency tasked with identifying threats to the armed forces, such as sabotage, espionage, or infiltration. Domestic security and civilian counterintelligence in a non-military setting are handled by the Swedish Security Service (SÄPO), a civilian agency unaffiliated to MUST. MUST consist of the following departments: • Underrättelsekontoret (UNDK, Intelligence Office) • Säkerhetskontoret (SÄKK, Security Office) • Kontoret för Särskild Inhämtning (KSI, Office for Special Acquisition) The Intelligence Office (UNDK) is tasked with acquiring strategic intelligence for Central Command and Ministry of Defense decision-making, as well as aiding deployed Swedish military units. The Security Office (SÄKK) is tasked with electronic and cyber warfare, counterintelligence, cryptography, and personnel vetting, including to protect the Swedish Armed Forces against espionage or infiltration. The Office for Special Acquisition (KSI) is tasked with espionage abroad, including human intelligence and interagency relations, as well as clandestine activities. Little is known about KSI, which is generally considered the most secret part of MUST. MUST co-operate on various matters with other defense agencies, including the Swedish National Defense Radio Establishment (FRA), the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI), and the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV). Even though MUST is technically a part of the military, a majority of the staff is civilian. The current Director of MUST is Major General Lena Hallin (2021). The Swedish Defense possesses 2 signals intelligence aircraft. They are two Gulfstream IV and are modified G-IV SPs for SIGINT and are designated S 102B Korpen (Raven). The Swedish Air Force operates the aircraft for FRA. Both aircraft are based at the Malmen airbase in Linköping.

Other Defense Agencies

Several other defense agencies are, in one way or another, involved in Swedish intelligence work, for example, FRA that conduct signals intelligence (SIGINT). There is also co-operation between the military intelligence agencies and their civil counterparts such as the Police’s National Operative Department (Swe: Nationella Operativa Avdelningen, NOA) and the Security Service (SÄPO), not the least in matters such as terrorism.

Swedish National Defense Radio

Establishment (FRA)

Swedish: Försvarets Radioanstalt - FRA The National Defense Radio Establishment (Swe: Försvarets radioanstalt, FRA) is a Swedish government agency organized under the Ministry of Defense. The main task of FRA is signals intelligence (SIGINT) but also support to government authorities and state-owned companies regarding computer security. FRA was gradually established. In 1938, there was an intelligence department responsible for signal intelligence collecting for all the armed services. A few years later it was merged with the intelligence collection carried out by the Defense Staff’s Cryptography Department in Stockholm into FRA. On 1 July 1942, an independent government agency was organized under the Swedish Ministry of Defense named Försvarsväsendets radioanstalt (FRA). It was then headed by the Naval Officer Torgil Thorén (1892-1982) who was in charge of the agency between 1942 - 1957. In October 1943, FRA moved its headquarters to a secret location in Lovön, some 15 km from Stockholm. In 1962, the agency’s name was changed to Försvarets Radioanstalt (FRA), in English; The National Defense Radio Establishment. FRA's operational activity is organized into four departments: the Department for Signals Intelligence (Avdelningen för Signalunderrättelser); the Department for Cyber Security (Avdelningen för cyberverksamhet); the Department for Internal Support (Avdelningen för verksamhetsstöd); and the Department for Technical Development (Avdelningen för teknisk utveckling). In addition to this, there is also a Command Staff and several specialist functions reporting directly to the Director-General.

Swedish National Defense Research

Institute (FOA)

Swedish: Försvarets forskningsanstalt - FOA The National Defense Research Institute (FOA) was a Swedish government agency for defense research established in 1945 and existed until 31 December 2000. In 1945, FOA took over operations at essentially all technical and scientific research outside the industry for the defense. FOA was then organized in three research departments, FOA 1 chemistry/medicine, FOA 2 general physics, and FOA 3 telecommunications and an office. In 1945, the FOA was commissioned to investigate the novel invention of nuclear weapons. This included protection activities and investigations, but also preparations for a possible Swedish nuclear weapons program. In the 1950s and 1960s, nuclear research constituted a considerable part of FOA's activities. When Sweden signed the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty in 1968, the remaining nuclear development activities were dismantled; only protection research remained in the nuclear area. A major reorganization occurred on 1 July 1974 and FOA was organized in a central office, which accounted for among other things the projections, management, staffing and education issues, and five main departments, FOA 1 - 5. FOA was amalgamated with the National Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA) into the Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) which was established on 1 January 2001.

National Aeronautical Research Institute

(FFA)

Swedish: Flygtekniska försöksanstalten - FFA The National Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA), was a former Swedish government agency under the Ministry of Defense for conducting research, development, and experimentation in the aeronautical field. The FFA was established in 1940 and its first Director was Professor Ivar Malmer. Initially, the agency was sorted under the Ministry of Trade but was transferred in 1963 to the Ministry of Defense. The FFA was located in Ulvsunda Industrial Park in Bromma, Stockholm. The FFA was disestablished on 31 December 2000, when it was merged with the National Defence Research Institute (FOA) and on 1 January 2001 formed the Defence Research Agency (FOI).

Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI)

Swedish: Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut - FOI The Swedish Defense Research Agency (FOI) is a government agency for defense research under the Ministry of Defense. FOI was established in 2001 by a merger of the Swedish National Defense Research Institute (FOA) and the National Aeronautical Research Institute (FFA). The responsibilities of FOI include research, development of technology, and analysis, primarily for military defense, but also for civil emergencies, natural disasters, security, and other civilian applications. FOI also inquire into security policy, conflicts, and international affairs. FOI is organized into five departments, four of which engage in research and one that provides administrative support.

Swedish Defense Materiel Administration

(FMV)

Swedish: Försvarets materielverk - FMV The Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) is a Swedish government agency under the Ministry of Defense. The agency is responsible for the supplying of material and equipment to the Swedish Defense. It is located in Stockholm. Materiel (matériel) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment only in a commercial supply chain context. The FMV is responsible for procuring, producing, and delivering products and services for military materiel applications. The broad management scope includes sub-suppliers, suppliers, and internal information. The history of the FMV dates back to 1630 when the Royal War Staff (Kungliga Krigskollegium) was established under the reign of King Gustav II Adolf. The purpose was to manage and keep up Sweden’s procurement of military arms and equipment. The Defense Materiel Administration (Försvarets materielverk, FMV) was established on 1 July 1968 through a merger of the agencies; Army Administration, Navy Administration, Air Force Administration, Defense Supply Agency (Försvarets intendenturverk), and Defense Administration Board (Försvarets förvaltningsdirektion). From 2016, the current Director-General is Göran Mårtensson.